A poll commissioned by the Geneva Initiative during the month of January reveals that there has been an increase in Israeli public support for intensifying American involvement in the process between Israelis and Palestinians, and that currently 60% of the Israeli public supports such an idea. With respect to increasing the involvement of the European Community in the Israeli-Palestinian process, support for such an idea has been expressed by 40% of the Israeli public. We believe this to be a high percentage in relation to perceived conventional wisdom, although we have no prior statistics on this issue.

Regarding the conflict itself, 70.2% of the Israeli public support negotiations for a final status agreement and 72.4% of Israelis believe that prolonging the current situation, which is typified by a lack of a political process between Israel and the Palestinians, is bad for Israel. The poll received media attention and its findings were published in Yedioth Ahronot (February 2nd).
This is yet another symptom which can be added to the growing bank of indicators that the Israeli public is ahead of the government as far as bilateral negotiations for an endgame agreement with the Palestinians is concerned.